By Andrea Sachs, Monday, Feb 28, 2011, 12:00 PM

Intown Uptown Inn

About this Hotel

Price From $115

’Hood This pocket of grand old Victorian homes in upper northwest D.C. is notable for its neighbors who swap pleasantries over low fences and its unrestricted parking (so rare closer to downtown). A bit south of this quasi-suburb, a smattering of dining joints will curb appetites of diners who can’t wait for the more bustling scene lower down 14th Street in Columbia Heights.

The Vibe Imagine visiting a decorative arts museum, then unpacking your bags and staying the night. The 1909 manse, with resident dog, showcases a tastefully curated assemblage of art and artifacts, each with its own story to tell. The diva chandeliers, for instance, came from an auction of the now-shuttered Hotel Washington, and a giant knitted flag dating from 1861, the year Kansas joined the union, came from a Virginia Red Cross everything-must-go sale. If not careful, you could spend your entire stay saying to the staff, “Now, tell me about that item.”

Rooms The names of the 10 rooms, two with shared bath, hint at what’s inside: set pieces with loads of whimsy. In the Wysteria room, synthetic vines studded with silk flowers twist around the canopy bed frame, and a giant bloom hangs from the ceiling like a bride’s bouquet tossed too high. The Corleone room is dark-walled and dramatic, with a hulking 1920s bed imported from Italy; a dresser graced by cherubs lightens the mood. The Room With a View is not false advertising: Its small balcony lets you see to the far edges of the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome. Note that the Down to Earth and Intown Suite rooms are located in the basement, have no windows, and are subject to lots of street noise.

Plus Guests can heat items in a communal kitchenette equipped with a microwave and fridge; hot beverages and a variety of sodas are $1 each. Toiletry perks: loofah sponge, bath salts, and facial spritzer. Gratis cocktail hour is held nightly, with lemon-drop martinis or wine, plus cookies to sweeten the moment. Feel the city fall away in the large backyard garden. Ask the desk clerk for bus tokens or a loaner SmarTrips Metro pass, and you shall receive.

Minus The inn is a short haul from downtown, 25 minutes by bus, and is more than a mile from the Metro stations, Georgia Avenue-Petworth and Columbia Heights (opposite the inn you can catch a bus that stops by the Columbia Heights station). No children under 12 are allowed.

Free Wi-Fi? Yes.

Credit Cards Accepted: All.

Details For private bath, rates go from $139 weekday to $189 weekends; for shared bath, from $115 to $130. The suite-like Room with a View runs $151 weekdays, $210 weekends. Third person in a room pays $25.